


Kung Fu Panda: Dark-Bright

by Ace_Risk



Category: Kung Fu Panda (Movies)
Genre: Gen, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-15
Updated: 2020-12-15
Packaged: 2021-03-05 02:08:14
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 7
Words: 14,971
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25276657
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ace_Risk/pseuds/Ace_Risk
Summary: Several months after defeating Kai the spirit Warrior, Po has become a Kung Fu teacher and is more dedicated to learning new techniques and improving his skills. However he also begins to have realistic nightmares of an evil plot connected to him. His friends are worried for his new behavior. Most notably Master Tigress. Will they discover the problem? Read to find out!
Relationships: Po/Tigress (Kung Fu Panda)
Comments: 9
Kudos: 33





	1. Premonitions

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In his dreamscape, the Dragon Warrior experiences something quite unnerving. What could it be?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: This is a rewrite of my first fanfic on fanfiction.net. You can check that one out if you want to see what changes have been made. The Story canonically takes place about two months after the events of KFP 3 and will include the main cast, as well as 3 or four original characters.
> 
> Hope you enjoy!

Disclaimer: I do not own Kung Fu Panda 

Kung Fu Panda: Dark-Bright  
Written By: Ace_Risk

Chapter 1

Premonitions

Darkness. All he saw surrounding him was darkness. For what seemed like an hour, he remained trapped in an unlit room of sorts. Then a faint sound was heard, it sounded very familiar. Almost as if another creature was using its tongue to sense something in the area. Where had he heard this noise before? The only one he knew who made sounds even remotely similar to these was Master Viper. However, this option was quickly overruled as heard footsteps shortly after, although they weren’t your average footsteps sounding more like rough claws scratching a hard surface. Though he didn’t want to admit it...they were intimidating. The creature then stopped, he still couldn’t see the creature as the room was very dark, however he knew it was nearby as the footsteps sounded close. 

It sarcastically spoke out, “Comfortable?” He hadn’t even noticed until now that he was sitting on a dirty stone floor which reminded him of the dungeons in Gongmen City, although this room was much larger than those small prison cells. 

“Don’t worry. You wont be here for much longer, I have greater plans involving you.” It spoke with a tinge of dark humor. 

He couldn’t understand what the creature meant by this. ‘What plans? Where am I? Who or what is this thing that’s talking to me?’

These thoughts were soon interrupted as the figure then got even closer, still not close enough to see in detail. 

“You’ll find out soon enough that darkness can consume anything if given the chance.” The Reptilian voice whispered to him.

He was taken back by this statement from the creature but before he could ponder it, his neck was met by two fangs that had punctured his skin. And then…

Po gasped as he shot up from his cot. He looked around while trying to catch his breath. He could see paper walls with wooden frames all around him allowing a small amount of light into the room, as well as wooden shelves with action figures of the Furious Five and a jade staff with a Yin and Yang symbol at the end on a stand. He settled down and managed to catch his breath knowing that he was in his room at the Jade Palace barracks. 

“I hope nobody heard that.” He muttered to himself. 

He then looked back at the paper wall behind his bed, judging by how much light was filling his room he presumed that it was 5:00 AM, just an hour before the morning gong would go off. He was about to get out of bed to do his morning training routines until his thoughts went back to the nightmare that he had just had. Who was that creature in the dark room? What did it mean when it said it had plans involving me?

He knew he couldn’t dwell on this dream for long as he had important duties to keep up, his training and teaching to name a few. Discarding the thoughts of the nightmare, he got out of his bed and went to go put on his new clothing. 

Since becoming a teacher at the Jade Palace Po wanted to look the part, so he asked the tailor in the valley to make him some clothing for training and some clothing for teaching. The new tailor in the valley of peace was one of the best in China, she had even made certain garments for the emperor himself and was well known for making clothing for all types of animals from the lights of Rabbits to Rhinos. She managed to make him some pairs of training pants, a couple of white training vests as well as two green tunics with patterns of golden dragons which looked much like the one he had made out of Chi while battling Kai in the spirit realm. She also made him a cloak which had patterns of lotus flowers colored black and gold. He frequently wore this cloak as he always imagined himself wearing what he would call ‘an awesome cape’ when he was younger.

Quickly slipping on his training garments he quietly left the student barracks to get some early training in before the morning gong. He didn’t realize however that on his way out of the Barracks he was being followed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Thanks for reading! If you liked it and would like more, leave a comment and kudos! Next chapter will be out soon.
> 
> Cheers,  
> -Ace_Risk


	2. Concerns

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> While he calmly meditates, Po is interrupted by someone. Who exactly could that be?

Disclaimer: I do not own Kung Fu Panda 

Chapter 2

Concerns

“Inner Peace...” Po quietly spoke to himself while in a calm meditative pose. He was using the inner peace technique in combination with meditation to calm his mind and body after the vigorous training he had just done. 

Each morning for the last month, Po had run up the 1000 steps to the palace 3-4 times. At first it was Shifu’s idea claiming, “you need to conquer all your demons Po, and since I hear you have always had qualms with stairs you will run up the 1000 stairs several times every day for the next week.” 

He chuckled at the thought as he remembered all the times when he would be unable to scale a flight of stairs or whenever he did get to the top he would either pass out or fall back down the stairs. Although after that week of running up and down the stairs twice, he noticed that his efforts were paying off and for the first time in his life he had actually lost weight. However after two weeks of running up the stairs it started to get too easy and so he began to run up and down 3-4 times instead to increase his stamina. 

Now a whole month later, his Results were really showing as Po hardly even looked like a normal Panda, he had lost almost half of his belly fat and he was now easily able to keep up with the same pace as many of his friends excluding Mantis who was fast on another level entirely. He now fit into his training clothes perfectly as well as looked much more athletically toned through his fur, though he still maintained a small amount of paunch, no doubt due to his physiology.

While he sat calmly near the dragon grotto, his ears perked up as he heard a faint cracking noise in the area. He sensed that he wasn’t alone. So he picked up his staff that he had laid on the ground before him and stood up with his eyes closed. 

He had a good idea of where or rather who the noise had come from and so he called out, "you know curiosity killed the cat right?” He then chuckled to himself still with his eyes closed as he prepared for the impending attack. He quickly turned around and used his staff and focused his Chi to block the powerful kick of the attacker. A large ring of energy pulsated from the origin of the move creating shock waves which blew back the leaves on nearby plants and disturbed the water in the cave.

While the attacker was launched from him upon impact Po said out loud while chuckling to himself, “I’m glad I had time to prepare for that.” 

When the attacker landed they spoke out, “You of all people should know that no one mocks me and gets away with it ‘Dragon Warrior’.” 

“So how long have you been following me this time ‘Master Tigress’?” Stated Po with a confident smirk. Tigress was taken back by this question by the Panda, she didn’t understand how he knew she had followed him more than once this week. 

Instead of answering his question she answered with a question of her own “What makes you think I followed you more than once?” Po took a moment to remember his conversations with Master Viper, she had explained to him that Tigress had followed and watched him during his morning training twice this week. 

He decided not to reveal the real reason to avoid getting Viper or himself for that matter into trouble, while also knowing that it would drive the female Tiger crazy. “It doesn’t matter how I know, what matters is why you keep watching me train every morning.” 

As Po expected, this irritated Tigress, hearing her let out a small growl, she did not like secrets kept from her especially from her closest friends, but respecting her friend’s privacy she backed off and answered his question, “We’ve been worried about you lately Po...I’ve been worried about you...” 

Po wasn’t surprised by the first thing she had said, he knew that the others had been worried about him for the last few weeks. In fact he was getting a little annoyed when either one of the five, Shifu or anyone else would ask if he was alright when he seemed tired while teaching, during meals or any other time. 

He would admit to himself that he was tired most times that they would ask, teaching Kung Fu took it out of him along with his training. However the second thing she said surprised him, he had never taken Tigress for the caring type. He always thought that nothing fazed what he would call ‘the most Hardcore Master in all of China’, however considering how close they were as friends he understood the feeling of worry and decided to lighten the mood with another joke, “what? Is it because ‘THE Big Fat Panda’ is not so big and fat anymore?” 

Tigress very nearly laughed at this, throughout the years she had known the Panda, her and him had become very close friends and one of the things she knew well about him was that he could ease any tension with his silly nature and sense of humor. 

“Fat no, big yes.” She answered back with a smirk of her own. Po laughed at this, “wow Tigress! I didn’t know you were capable of humor!” He stated sarcastically.

Her smile didn’t diminish, “well, the hardcore have to lighten up from time to time...” 

Po was happy that Tigress and him were such close friends, after all, ever since he was a teenager she had been one of his idols, in fact of all the action figures in his collection hers was his undisputed favorite. 

“I’m glad I got to meet all of you Tigress, Oogway really was right when he said ‘there are no accidents’, everything I aspired to be when I was younger has been made possible by you guys.” He said honestly.

Tigress was touched by this, her and the Five knew very well how much of a fan Po was and still is of them, though it made her reflect on the time when he first came to the Palace after being declared the Dragon Warrior and how she was very cold and rude towards him, not giving him a chance to prove everyone he was worthy. She frowned at the thought, which didn’t go unnoticed by Po who knew the exact reason for her action. In truth he didn’t blame anyone for their hostility towards him as he believed in letting the wrongs of the past to wash away, this was also one of the reasons he was able to achieve inner peace so young. 

He wanted to cheer his friend up, “Come on, lets head back to the palace, the gong will go off any minute now. I’d also like if you would come with me on a mission later.”

Tigress nodded and began to follow Po back to the Palace grounds, however she suddenly stopped, having been lost in thought. ‘I wonder what kind of mission he could mean? Why do I feel so different around him lately? Like I’m much more comfortable around him than anyone else...’. 

Her thoughts were interrupted as she heard Po call back to her, “You coming?” She broke out of her trance nodding to him and caught up to him as they walked down the cliffs towards the Palace.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Alright, so that's the end of chapter 2! Not a terrible amount of action, but that is soon going to change as this is only the buildup. If you enjoy this and are looking forward to more, leave a comment, and kudos!
> 
> Cheers,  
> -Ace_Risk


	3. Master's Chat

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After being caught in the act, Master Tigress contemplates what she truly feels recently. Po, meanwhile, converses with Master Shifu about an important matter.

Disclaimer: I do not own Kung Fu Panda 

Chapter 3

Master’s chat

After Po had returned to his room in the barracks, he quickly changed into his green tunic and his golden cloak and waited for the morning gong to sound. While waiting he looked at his completed action figure collection, since his last adventure he had created several new characters, Kai the spirit warrior and his biological father Li Shan.

He took great pride in his work, he had an action figure of almost every Kung Fu master and every great villain in all of China. ‘I’ll need to find a way to get rid of these things eventually, they’re beginning to take up way to much space here...’ he thought to himself. ‘What if...’ 

Before he finished the thought, he heard the sound of the morning gong ring throughout the palace grounds, so he exited his room and waited to be greeted by the five as well as his former master. After their fight with Kai, the others had also received new clothing from the new tailor in the valley. Monkey had decided to wear a black training vest today along with his wrist bracers and gray training pants. 

Viper wore pink lotus clips on her head though these were slightly larger than her previous ones. She had also recently tattooed different Chinese characters onto the back of her scales which read ‘Excellence of self’ quite fitting of her character. 

Crane wore the same slacks as always, however he had recently modified his bamboo hat to have a thin blade engraved with Chinese characters encompassing the entire edge of the hat making for a lethal weapon and a great fashion statement. 

Last of them all Tigress had worn a blue training vest that closely resembled her first red Qipao vest. Though he still thought that her golden robe was her best attire he definitely preferred her blue vest over the red one.

They were momentarily met by master Shifu as the small mammal made his way through the hallway. They bowed while they greeted him, “Good morning Master Shifu.” Po, however, did not refer to Shifu as ‘master’ anymore simply because there was nothing more the Master could teach him. 

Shifu was not surprised by this, ever since he defeated Kai and became a master of Chi, Po had made him realize that the Panda was an excellent teacher. And recently he had even learned many new teachings from Po himself. He had never imagined that Po could become as dedicated and as skilled as he was, but if his accomplishments were anything to go by, Po was anything but ordinary.

“Good morning students, good morning Po.” He replied, “I expect each one of you to make improvements on the lessons that I taught you yesterday.” He then thought of something he wanted to ask Po, “Po, could you and I speak at the summit of the peach tree after you finish breakfast?” 

Everyone nodded at Shifu’s orders while Po answered, “Sure thing, I also had something I wanted to ask you.” Shifu nodded and dismissed the others as they left to go to the dinning room for breakfast.

Since arriving at the palace, he had grown accustomed to cooking meals for his friends. Mantis and Monkey could hardly even go a day without his signature dish: the secret ingredient soup. Of course, there really wasn’t any secret ingredient, but only he and his father Mr Ping knew that. Mr Ping’s reason for hiding ‘the secret’ was to make people believe it was special, and he was right, for nearly all the residents in the valley of peace who had tried the secret ingredient soup absolutely cherished the dish. 

Even Tigress as skeptical as she was of ‘foreign foods’ had eventually tried the soup. Though Po knew she preferred to have spices added to increase the flavor of the dish. After he served them their platters they thanked him and dug in.

All breakfast long Monkey, Mantis, and Po (The much more talkative ones) conversed about the new techniques that Shifu had taught the day before and also about their much more dignified outfits. The only one who remained completely silent was Master Tigress, she unlike the rest was pondering. She wondered what it was that Masters Po and Shifu wanted to speak about. Along with this, she wondered what kind of mission it was that Po had mentioned earlier.

Her train of thought was broken, however, as she heard Viper address her. “Sorry Viper, I was lost in thought for a moment, is something the matter?” 

The Reptilian master replied, “It’s no problem Tigress. I was asking if you followed him again.”

Tigress was glad that Viper was speaking quietly since she didn’t want someone like Mantis to have another way to annoy or blackmail her. She responded silently, “Yes, but he caught onto me this time, I was careless and made too much noise and he must have heard me, but somehow he knew it was me.”

Viper wanted so badly to laugh knowing that she was the reason Po knew it was Tigress following him, however, she managed to keep her composure and continue, “So what happened when he caught you in the act?”

“Well he tried to mock me, so I attempted to hit him with one of my most powerful attacks to teach him a lesson but he blocked it almost effortlessly.” She looked at the soup for a moment before continuing, “Hes gotten really powerful Viper, its worrying me. He’s never been this dedicated to his training.”

“I’m sure there’s a good reason behind it, but we shouldn’t pester him, if Po wanted us to know his reason he would have told us.” Viper stated.

Tigress agreed with a nod and returned to eating her food again. Before she could continue, however, Viper interrupted her, “Besides, he looks much more handsome than he did before doesn’t he?” 

Without thinking Tigress replied, “Yes maybe a little...wait what!?” Viper could help but giggle knowing that Tigress disliked sharing her emotions but she also knew that Tigress felt different towards Po. 

“That is not what I meant and you know it!” Tigress exclaimed trying to defend herself while also attempting to hide a blush. Viper continued to laugh, only adding to Tigress’ dismay. She growled in annoyance and went back to eating her soup when the boys asked, “So what are you girls talking about?”  
Viper answered “oh nothing in particular, say Po, what was it that you wanted to speak to Master Shifu about after breakfast?” Tigress glanced over at her and mouthed ‘thank you’ to which Viper nodded. 

Po didn’t want to disclose the reason he wanted to speak to Shifu, in fact this reason was very personal to him. “I don’t think you guys need to know, it’s kind of personal you know?” He explained. 

His friends were considerate and knew when to stop probing. “Speaking of Shifu, I’d better go meet with him now since I’ve finished, do any of you need anything before I go?” They shook their heads in response. 

“Oh and by the way, Tigress could you meet me at the Dragon Grotto just before sun down?” Po asked before leaving.

Tigress just responded, “Umm okay sure thing Po.” Po smiled and left the room clearing his dishes before he left.

Shifu was balancing on Oogway’s old wooden staff at the summit of the Peach tree of Heavenly Wisdom when he heard the sound of inevitable footsteps. ‘Right on time.’ He thought with a smile.

Once the footsteps stopped just a few feet behind him he turned around on the staff, “Thank you for honoring my request Po, I wanted to ask you a couple of things while you’re up here.” 

Po nodded, “If it’s alright, I also wanted to ask you about something.” 

“Very well, I suppose you can ask your question first since you are now the master.” The elder Master stated, now dismounting the staff and bringing himself to the ground.

Po cut straight to the chase, “I was going to ask you if it would be alright if I went on a mission with Tigress today.” 

Shifu raised a brow, “Oh? What kind of mission?” 

Po was quick to reply, “Well I was looking at my action figure collection today and I realized I have way too many of those things. So I was wondering if you would let Tigress and I pay a visit to the Bao Gu Orphanage and donate some of my action figures to the children?”

Shifu nodded without hesitation, “I think that is a brilliant idea Po, of course you two can go. Besides, I believe the children would greatly appreciate meeting heroes such as yourselves.” 

Po smiled, “Thank you. Now what was it that you wanted to ask me?” 

“Ah yes… I was wondering about the time you met with Oogway in the spirit realm.” Shifu asked while looking at his passed down staff from his deceased Master.

Po nodded, “Okay, what would you like to know?” 

“I was wondering how he seemed when you spoke him. Was there anything in particular that you noticed?” Shifu once again asked while diverting his gaze back at the Panda.

“Well, he seemed kind of happy, it was almost like he had gotten something really important off his chest, or shell rather.” Po answered simply, recalling the events of the other plain of existance.

Shifu sighed with happiness knowing that his former master no doubt felt content with how the Dragon Warrior had achieved his destiny. But before dismissing the Panda, he remembered that there was another question that he wanted to ask the Panda while he was still there. 

“Very good Po, and one more thing… Do you think you could possibly take me to the spirit world to see Oogway again?” He asked while trying to hide a small amount of enthusiasm.

Po truthfully didn’t know whether he could or could not do this, however, if he was able to take Kai to the spirit world then surely it would be possible to take anyone there. Right? 

“I’m not sure, I can try, but I can’t guarantee everything will go as planned…” Po replied skeptically.

Shifu nodded, “I’m not in any rush Po, whenever you get the chance just let me know. I believe that your method will work as it has before.” Po smiled, knowing his former Master had good faith in him. Both Master’s bowed to each other, then Po left the mountain summit to go train until sundown.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Okay, so I’ve got to apologize for this chapter having been released so late. I’m not used to publishing things on AO3 and since this is a re-write I kind of forgot about it for a while. Regardless, I intend to finish rewriting all 20 chapters and publishing them on schedule for you guys. If you enjoyed this and want more, comment, kudos, and keep reading!
> 
> Cheers,  
> -Ace_Risk


	4. Spiritual Advice

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Po returns to the spirit realm to consult with his former master. But while doing so, the two are interrupted. Who could possibly be the culprit?

Disclaimer: I do not own Kung Fu Panda 

Chapter 4

Spiritual Advice

Po sat down at the edge of the Pool of sacred tears, he had come to this spot to meditate and help clear his mind. He was glad Shifu had allowed him to visit the orphanage with Tigress, not only because it would give him a way to get rid of some of his action figures, but also because he believed it would be good for Tigress. He knew that the orphanage wasn’t the happiest part of Tigress’ life, however, he believed that by showing the children at the orphanage some happiness, it would be good for her heart. 

He also thought back to what Shifu had asked him earlier, and he wondered if it was possible for him to take Shifu to the spirit realm and back.

‘Why don’t I just try going there myself and ask Oogway about it.’ He thought, knowing that the wise Master would likely know what to do. He arose from his spot and picked up his staff in preparation to perform the Wuxi finger hold on himself. He closed his eyes, then used his free paw to grab his other paw’s index finger, then he lowered his pinky finger while saying, “Skadoosh!”

Within a second his entire body was encompassed in pink lotus blossoms while a massive golden wave of chi was sent in every direction. When he opened his eyes, he saw that he was floating above a large pool of golden liquid, the skies in the area were bright orange which had many floating peach blossoms freely flowing in the soft breeze. To his right was a peach tree which looked almost identical to the one near the Jade Palace. He was greeted by a slow and wise voice “Dragon Warrior.”

Po looked at the elder Galápagos Tortoise who sat on the first branch of the tree, “Master Oogway.” Oogway chuckled with a very wholesome smile prompting Po to smile in return while he continued, “It’s good to see you again Master.” 

“Likewise my friend, now, what brings you back here?” Asked the Tortoise.

Po got straight to the point, “Well, I was gonna ask you, do you know if it’s possible to bring others here and back?” Oogway was still smiling as he replied, “Well… Do you believe that you can?” Po knew that Oogway never gave a straight answer for most of the questions he was asked, however, he was easily able to understand what his master meant by this. So he thanked him, “I understand Master, thank you for your advice.” 

While the two were conversing, a certain deranged individual was listening, waiting for the perfect opportunity to make his move. For 3 years this individual had carried a deep hatred for the Dragon Warrior having suffered one the most humiliating defeats to the Panda years ago and desired nothing more than revenge.

It wasn’t only the panda he wanted revenge against however, years before he had been defeated by Po, he had striven to be the Dragon Warrior himself. However he was denied the this right by Master Oogway after working nearly his entire life to achieve it. He despised Oogway for this, and for being self righteous and entitled. 

He was spying on the two on a nearby mountain top where he was very well hidden. Growing impatient however, he impulsively jumped from the mountain to catch the Dragon Warrior by surprise.

“Wait, did you hear something?” Said Po as he turned around to see what was making the noise that sounded like someone angrily yelling, and it was getting closer very quickly. When he turned his head and only saw a blur of motion as he was swiftly kicked in the face extremely hard and sent flying. Po winced in pain, he hadn’t been hit this hard since…

“Tai Lung… Still out for revenge I see.” Po said while he got up and wiped his mouth where the kick had hit him.

“I’m glad you returned here Dragon Warrior… I can finally reclaim my lost honor by defeating you…” Tai Lung said angrily while he slowly walked towards the Panda. 

Po was turned away from his opponent as he chuckled, “Don’t get your hopes up.” 

Tai Lung angrily growled as he now ran towards the Panda to land another attack. Po then turned around and blocked a barrage of attacks with pinpoint accuracy using his staff. Once Tai Lung had lost his momentum, however, Po parried the last attack and stated in a mocking voice, “It’s no wonder Kai beat you. You’ve gotten sloppy.” 

Tai Lung angrily roared and launched an extremely powerful double handed punch towards Po’s face. Po wasn’t expecting a strike of this magnitude, and barely had time to bring his arms up to absorb the blow. It sent him back quite a ways due to the lack of gravity from the spirit realm.

As he floated up, he caught his bearings and used another floating island nearby to propel himself back. Tai Lung was ready for him, and jumped to intercept him. As Tai Lung neared him, he quickly made several hand gestures that unleashed a golden aura around himself. The Leopard seemed confused and lowered his guard unintentionally, giving Po the opportunity he needed to jab his staff straight at his face, making a ‘ding’ sound as it made contact.

Even though this attack wasn’t very hard, it still sent Tai Lung to the ground face first. And it only served to anger the Snow Leopard even more, he got up quickly and prepared to retaliate. However, he then remembered one of his Master’s teachings. “Once an opponent is stressed via anger or fear, they tend to make more mistakes, use this to your advantage.” 

He then took several deep breathes and composed himself so that he could focus. “Always playing dirty aren’t you ‘Dragon Warrior’?” He said with a smirk that read, ‘fight like a true warrior’. 

Po then laughed, “I guess we should keep it even then.” He put his staff behind his back, “Now, where were we?” 

Tai lung let out an evil grin and was about to taunt his opponent beforehe was interrupted by the Panda, “Wait, that isn’t fair… Here.” Po said while putting his left arm behind his back. 

Tai Lung growled in annoyance, ‘does that arrogant bastard really intend to fight me with one arm?!’ He thought while cracking his knuckles. Po let out a confident smile and signaled for his opponent to ‘come at him’. Tai Lung only stated, “You’ll regret that.”

He surged at Po, sending one blow after another in quick succession, any of which would have seriously hurt his opponent. However, though they were strong, they were predictable, and Po made no mistake in parrying them all, while seeming calm, almost as if he was disappointed in the Snow Leopards skills. 

Tai Lung, while attacking the confident Panda was also scanning for a weakness he could exploit. The only thing he could really see in the blur of his attacks was the Panda’s cloak dangling from his opponent’s shoulders, but how could he use that against him? 

After a second, Tai Lung had an idea, stopping his barrage of attacks and dodging a punch from the Panda’s free paw. He quickly grabbed the cloak by the end and put it over the Panda’s head to restrict the Dragon Warrior’s vision. His action gave him enough time to get the Panda in a headlock. 

“When I’m finished with you Dragon Warrior, Oogway will be next!” Tai Lung said provokingly while his headlock on Po began to tighten. Po struggled as Tai Lung’s physical strength was clearly superior to his. However, he had trained for moments like these, and in a split second he gathered what strength he had to headbutt Tai Lung in the chin. This made the Snow Leopard let go of Po clutching his chin in pain, giving the Panda the opportunity to elbow Tai Lung in the gut which knocked the wind straight out of the feline. 

Po felt he had allowed this to go on long enough, so he grabbed his staff from his pack and hit the snow Leopard’s pressure points with his staff, paralyzing him from the shoulders down. In his fixed position Tai Lung muttered in defeat, “Go on, finish me ‘Dragon Warrior’.” 

Po then held his staff up above his defeated opponent’s neck, “You were a worthy opponent, but I can’t let you continue on this path.”

“I’m afraid you leave me no choice.” Tai Lung closed his eyes and accepted his fate. Time seemed to have stopped as he waited for the Panda to finish him off once and for all. So much time that he opened his eyes just to see if the Dragon Warrior would actually go through with it. He looked up and saw Po thrust his staff down. He then quickly closed his eyes again, but strangely, he felt nothing. He looked beside him and saw that the Panda’s staff had been jabbed into the ground next to him. Nothing could come to mind as he was so confused.

“Not that long ago, I came face to face with a person who had scarred me for life.” Po said while looking at the ground where his staff lied.

“I eventually beat him and had the chance to finish him off, but instead I let my past go and gave him a second chance.” After saying this Po pulled his staff out of the ground and used it to deactivate the paralysis on Tai Lung’s body. 

“He refused the second chance and ended up paying for his mistake.” Tai Lung was in utter shock at what was happening which was ironic as he had just been unparalyzed. He was free now, however, he made no attempt to fight back or escape. 

“I’m going to give you a second chance, please don’t waste it like he did.” 

The moment was broken, however, as both heads were turned toward Master Oogway who was heard chuckling. “Well done Dragon Warrior, you have once again proven that it is what one chooses to be that defines them.” 

Po smiled and nodded. Oogway looked down at the defeated feline who was still on the ground looking away from the Tortoise in disgust. Oogway then spoke to Tai Lung “Master Tai Lung, I trust you will accept the Dragon Warrior’s request?” 

Tai Lung snarkily replied, “Or what? You’ll lock me up in a prison for 20 more years?”

Po sighed and shook his head, “You know it broke Shifu’s heart to send you to Chorh Gom, he still regrets it to this day-”

“If Shifu really cared for me then he wouldn’t have sided with HIM when I was supposed to become the Dragon Warrior!” Tai Lung interrupted in his anger.

Oogway sighed. What had been Shifu’s pride and joy had become a menace to the world and he knew he was mostly at fault for this. The Tortoise replied, “Master Tai Lung, do you know why I did not choose you to be the Dragon Warrior?” 

Tai Lung didn’t even want to know the answer to this question, all he could feel right now was hate towards the Tortoise for ruining his life. After waiting a few seconds Oogway continued, “I saw great darkness in you at the time, but I also saw light, there was balance. However, I made a mistake and allowed the darkness to consume you.”

He paused for a moment, “I am deeply sorry I failed you Master Tai Lung.” 

Tai lung still looked away from Oogway trying to hide his emotions, most of his anger having faded away. He then noticed Po reaching out his hand as if to help him up from the ground. He contemplated the choice hard, taking a few moments to think the offer over. But after thinking about it for a long moment he gave in and decided to take the Panda’s advice, so he took Po’s paw and got up from the ground.

Po smiled, “I’m glad you took the chance, I was beginning to think you wouldn’t for a second.” 

It was difficult for Po to tell whether the Leopard was smiling or scowling, but regardless, Tai Lung replied, “You’d be a fool if you think this is over. I will have a rematch.” 

Po then laughed, “You wouldn’t be the first.”

“Hrm? And who else could possibly want a rematch with you?” Po smiled at the thought of the one who constantly asked for a rematch against him. “Trust me, you don’t want to know.” 

Tai Lung looked skeptical, but dropped the topic quickly, knowing that it must not be too important. “So, what do I do now? If I can’t become the Dragon Warrior, what can I do?” 

“Your destiny is yours own to control, you must choose which path to follow.” Oogway stated. “However, if you’d like, I can teach you some new techniques so you can give the Dragon Warrior a better fight during your inevitable rematch.” 

Tai Lung had to put a lot of thought into this, ‘Should I really learn from the person who denied me my life’s work?’, ‘Then again, this could help me defeat the dragon warrior when we have our rematch eventually...’ 

“I would like that ‘Master’ Oogway.” He answered in a strangely respective way considering his earlier transgressions.

Though Po was glad to see Tai Lung changing for the better, Po had hardly even noticed that the sky had turned from a light orange to a dark red which probably meant that much time had passed since he arrived in the spirit realm. He also remembered that he had arranged to meet Master Tigress at the Dragon Grotto around sundown, which no doubt was drawing near. 

“Well I’m glad everything is cleared up here, but I gotta go, otherwise I’ll be in big trouble with an angry Tiger.” Po stated, turning his back and heading to the Peach Tree once again.

Both Oogway and Tai Lung nodded, “Don’t forget about our rematch.” Tai Lung called. Po nodded and proceeded to plunge his staff into the golden river drawing the Yin-Yang pattern in the golden liquid which transported him back to the mortal realm back at the Pool of Sacred Tears.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Well, there’s chapter 4. I attempted to keep as much in as possible while adding some new things such as the floaty gravity of the spirit realm as well as some small additions to the Characters’ lines. All in all I think it turned out alright, hopefully you like the fight as much as I did writing it :)
> 
> If you like the story so far and want to see more, be sure to kudos, comment and stay tuned for the next one coming soon!
> 
> Cheers,  
> -Ace_Risk


	5. Familiar Places

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Po and Master Tigress go on a mission, whilst doing so, they discover something very peculiar.

Disclaimer: I do not own Kung Fu Panda 

Chapter 5

Familiar Places

Po looked up at the sky, judging from where the sun was positioned he reckoned it was around 4:00 PM, an hour before he had agreed to meet Tigress at the Dragon Grotto. He decided he would go to the Dragon Grotto right now since it would give him some time to meditate before she arrived.

6 Hours Ago (Elsewhere)

The Furious 5 had spent the morning outside of the training hall practicing the chi techniques that Shifu and Po had demonstrated. They had begun learning to manipulate their chi to enhance their physical abilities such as speed, agility, and strength. 

However, after having practiced for half the day, (mostly Monkey and Mantis) got bored and wanted to spar against each other to test them in battle.

“You know, I’m all for practicing this stuff, but don’t you guys think we should actually test it out in a fight?” Asked Master Mantis from on top Monkey’s shoulder.

“We were given specific instructions by Master Shifu to practice the techniques, not to spar.” Tigress answered factually with a neutral expression.

The others sighed, mainly the boys, but shortly after, she continued, “However, I do believe you have a point. And since you are so eager to test your abilities you can have the pleasure of fighting me first.” She stated, taking a step forward in his direction.

To this he only gulped.

1 Hour Earlier

“So Tigress, why does Po want to meet with you later?”Asked Mantis suggestively whilst the Five walked back to the training hall after lunch. 

She rolled her eyes and ignored the insect. Mantis’ antics tended to annoy her, however, she usually ignored his pointless taunts. 

But the bug never seemed to know when to quit, “You know, for a while in Gongmen city it seemed like you had a thing for him.” 

This time, however, he had crossed a line. One of the main rules when conversing with Master Tigress was to never mention personal matters, or connections.

“Mantis I swear, one more wise crack and losing your head will be the least of your concerns!” She shouted in her anger.

This silenced the insect who backed down in submission. Though he was stubborn, he knew not to trifle with Master Tigress when her temper would rise.

1 Hour Later

“I’m so dead aren’t I?” Mantis asked nervously. 

“That you are.” Tigress said, looking stoic but hiding a tinge of excitement. He had crossed her for the last time, and she was going to enjoy teaching him a lesson for his rude behavior.

Their fight was about to begin when everyone witnessed a bright wave of gold energy pulsate from a nearby mountain. The pulse of golden energy soared through the sky above them, “What was that?” Exclaimed Master Crane.

“That looks like the Wuxi finger hold!” Answered Master Viper.

“Po!”

“We’d better make sure the big guy is okay!” Stated Monkey who was about to head over where the beam had originated. The others nodded and began to leave before Master Tigress stopped them, “I’m sure all of you know that the Dragon Warrior is more than capable of handling himself.” 

The others looked at her in confusion, but agreed with her nonetheless. He could absolutely take care of himself, especially recently.

Present Time

Po had been peacefully meditating for more than half an hour in the cave of the Dragon Grotto, he was passing the time until Tigress would arrive. While sitting in place he sensed many things, the water dripping from the top of the cave, the cool breeze from the mountains and also the light from the sky slowly fading from the sky. 

A few seconds later, he sensed the fragrance of Jasmine in the air. “Thank you for coming Tigress.” Pos stated, knowing full well that the fragrance came from his feline friend.

“I’m beginning to think that it’s impossible to sneak up on you anymore.” Tigress stated sarcastically. 

Po chuckled and rose up, “You know, it’s ironic you should say that because just recently someone caught me by surprise.”

Tigress raised a brow, “Hmm? And who could that have been?” 

Po smiled, “It’s a long story, I’ll tell you on the way.” 

“Speaking of which, what kind of mission are we going on Po?” Master Tigress asked, looking much more serious and focused.

“you’ll find out soon, for now just follow me.” Po answered, passing her and heading down the mountain, to which she followed.

Tigress followed Po into the village where they stopped near his father Mr Ping’s restaurant. The sign above the entrance now read ‘Ping and Shan’s Noodles’. 

“I’m going in to get something to eat. I haven’t had anything since breakfast so I’m starving. Would you like anything?” Po asked kindly. 

She nodded, “Thanks Po, just a tea would be nice.” 

Po nodded smiling in return, “By the way, whatever my father says do not believe it.”

She smiled, “Which one?”

Po answered looking nervous, “Either...” 

Since Po’s defeat of Kai, Li Shan, Po’s biological father had decided to move into the valley of peace and now ran the noodle shop in town along with Mr Ping, Po’s other father. However, the two Dads had a knack for embarrassing Po in ways he wasn’t always comfortable with.

“Po!” “Lotus!” Po’s Dads said in unison. They came running up and hugged Po, almost making him fall in the process. Po laughed, “Dad!, Dad! How are both of you?” 

The reunion lasted nearly 3 minutes with Tigress watching in satisfaction, she appreciated how wholesome it was to see such a happy family.

“So Lotus, what brings you down to the village?” Asked Li Shan, letting go of his son for a moment.

Po responded “Oh yeah! Tigress and I were just going out on a mission today and I was just starving so we decided to stop here.”

Mr ping chuckled, “Going out?” 

Po blushed slightly, “Not like that Dad!” 

Ping and Li both laughed, “I know Po, I’m just messing with you.” Po sighed and rolled his eyes “Anyway, all we need are a bowl of dumplings and some tea.” To which the Dads nodded.

While waiting, the Warriors sat down at one of the tables near the corner of the restaurant. It didn’t take more than a minute for them to be surrounded by enthusiastic young villagers who wanted their autographs. They kindly obliged and signed the papers and merchandise from the lights of Pigs, Rabbits, and Goats. The villagers that the Masters prioritized above all others were definitely the children. They knew well enough that they were role models to the younger generations, and it was important to pay attention to the enthusiastic children.

After finishing their meals, they said their goodbyes to Po’s fathers and went on their way. “Now’s probably a good time to tell you where we’re going Tigress.” Said Po while the two made their way into the outskirts of the village.

Tigress nodded and kept listening as he continued, “We’re going to the Bao Gu Orphanage. I asked Shifu about it and he thought it was a good idea.”

Tigress stopped for a moment and looked down with a noticeable frown about her. Po expected such a reaction, he knew how this place brought her negative memories, however, it was here where she met master Shifu and become who she was today. 

“I know this place brings up some bad memories, but if you hadn’t been here, there’s a chance you never would have met Shifu or become a Kung Fu Master.” Po stated optimistically while he grabbed her paw and held it in his own. 

Tigress raised her head, “It’s okay Po. I’ve long since overcome my dread about the orphanage. It’ll just be strange to return after so long.”

Po smiled, “That’s good, now let’s be on our way, we’ve got some children to cheer up!” 

Tigress returned a reassuring smile. It was refreshing to see his positivity even in the dimmest situations.

Once they arrived, Po knocked on the door twice to make sure he was heard by the caretaker. Tigress remained a few feet back while in thought about some things that had been bothering her lately. She didn’t know whether or not it would be correct to ask him about it or not, but she knew he was always willing to listen. 

“Po, there is something that has been plaguing my mind for some time now. Is it alright if I confide in you?” She asked, having stepped up beside him.

Po turned to face his friend, “Sure, you know you can tell me anything.”

She opened her mouth to speak, “Lately I have been having strong feeli-”

“Creak”

The door to the orphanage then opened, cutting Master Tigress off mid sentence. An aged Sheep spoke in a gentle voice, “Greetings and welcome to the Bao Gu Orphanage, how can I… Wait, Master Tigress? Dragon Warrior?” 

Po then greeted her, “Hello Madam, please call me Po. Master Tigress and I just came over to entertain the children.” 

The female Sheep looked both surprised and skeptical, “Really? Aren’t there other duties that you have to attend to? Doesn’t the Valley need protecting?”

He shook his head, “I think those can wait. We’re simply doing this to make the kids happy, that’s all.”

She still looked confused, though she knew not to question someone willing to help. “Oh, well then bless your heart Po, the children at the orphanage have long wanted to meet you and the other Kung Fu Masters.” She replied, allowing the two to enter.

Po replied with a genuine smile, “Awesome! Let’s make some kids happy!” 

On their way in, Po whispered back, “Sorry Tigress, I guess whatever it was will have to wait for a bit.” 

She nodded in understanding, but cursed herself for not having told him sooner.

After entering the Orphanage, many of the children ran up to the Dragon Warrior and Master Tigress. Most of them had heard some of the tales of the Kung Fu Warriors’ adventures and many of them even knew some of the moves that the masters would use in combat. Po remembered back to his teenage years when he held the same passion of the children, he chuckled as the children horded near his feet and started asking for his attention. However, Po was used to this, as a Kung Fu teacher he taught many children from the valley the principles of Kung Fu. This was an arduous task as he had to convince many of the children that Kung Fu wasn’t solely about fighting, but rather excellence of self. 

Po demanded that the kids get in a large circle around him, he decided to tell the children some stories of the secrets of the Furious Five and also give each one of them an action figure of a different Kung Fu Master. He usually used these tales to tell the children how each of the Five mastered a skill that made them a better individual. 

While Po told these tales Tigress noticed that there was a half open door at the end of the round room. As she approached the room, she noticed that it was dark and gloomy, there were cracks in the door as if it had been hit by a hammer. Only, when she looked inside, she saw a lone Tiger cub who looked to be between five or six years old. His coat was only white with no orange fur to be seen, a rare genetic condition among his species. He wore a small green tunic along with black pants that did not appear to have been washed recently. He remained seated in the corner of the room holding his knees almost as if shielding himself from something. 

Tigress remembered back when she was an orphan, she recalled having been an outcast among the other children. The Monster of Bao Gu. That had been the name given to her by the other children. Their fear of her wasn’t completely unwarranted, be it that she was strong enough to shatter walls with a touch, but the neglect and mistrust had left her scarred as a child. She had been in this cub’s position before, being alone, being afraid. It was a very strange instance of deja vu for the feline Master.

Once Po finished telling his stories, the kids that had gathered around him had gotten tired and decided to go to bed. Looking around he was surprised that Master Tigress was not at his side, but rather up against a nearby door. It was getting late in the day and he knew they had to return to Jade Mountain soon as to not worry the others.

“You look like you’ve seen a ghost.” Said Po as he approached his companion. She didn’t reply, only looking into the open room with a hint of dread across her face. 

Po was worried, “Are you alri- … Oh…” He interrupted himself when he noticed that Tigress was staring at a young white Tiger cub sheltered in the corner of the dim room.

“Umm hello?” Po asked to the young feline, to which the cub was startled and replied defensively, “Ah! Stay away from me I’m warning you!” 

He sounded like most children did, innocent and youthful, however, something must have really been bothering him. Po then stepped back a bit, “Hey, don’t worry, I’m not here to harm you.” 

To which the cub responded, “No, it’s not you I’m worried about, it’s me.” 

Po didn’t question it. He had a fairly good guess as to what this cub was eluding to. “Why are you worried about yourself?”

The cub seemed to hesitate, but he answered, “I don’t want to hurt you, all the other kids and the caretaker fear me because I break everything I touch.”

‘And there it is. Looks like it happened all over again. Alright, well what would Master Shifu say in this situation?’ He asked himself, thinking hard on what his next move should be.

‘You are restless, undisciplined, and pathetic! No dinner for you until you run up and down the mountain several times Panda!’ His mind told him.

‘Not helping…’ He refuted, pushing that thought away.

“What’s your name kid?” It was the only thing he could think to say with the Cub being as distressed as he was. 

The young Tiger looked at Po, unsure of whether to trust a stranger, “Everyone here calls me a Monster, but my real name is Hao Liang.”

‘Okay… That name is awesome…’

“That’s a wonderful name you have Hao! Totally fit for an amazing warrior! Hey, what would you say to me helping you to control your strength?” 

Hao’s eyes lit up, “Are you serious? You’d really help me?”

Po nodded, “Of course! It’s our job as Kung Fu Masters to make sure everyone in the valley is living happily.”

The Cub was short for words, “I… Well then yes! Please!”

Po and Tigress both looked to each other, nodding in unison. “It’s settled then! I’m going to teach you control, with a little help of course.” Po said while looking to his companion. 

Hao smiled for the first time in the interaction, “This is great! I’ll finally be able to live without the others being afraid of me!” The Tiger cub said joyfully, seemingly forgetting all about his crazy strength and accidentally jumping too hard, cracking a floor board once he landed.

“Oh… Oops.” He said while scratching his head in embarrassment. 

Both the warriors smiled at the Cub’s antics. Po then whispered something to Tigress to which she nodded and left the room.

After she was out of earshot, Po got down closer to the young one, “you know what Hao? Before I go, I believe you should have this.” He retrieved an action figure of Master Tigress out of the bag on his back and handed it to Hao. 

“Are you sure? I think I might break it by accident.” Hao stated, unsure of weather he should accept the gift or not. 

“Well I believe that you wont break it Hao.” Po insisted, still holding the figure for the Cub to take.

Hao hesitantly reached his hand out and grabbed the action finger. To his own surprise, however, he did not break the action figure at all. He was flabbergasted, “How?” 

Po smiled and replied, “Because someone trusted you.” 

Hao couldn’t believe how he had not destroyed the action figure, everything he had held or touched before had broken into shreds. 

Po then took a look back and noticed the darkening sky outside. “Well I hate to leave you Hao, but it’s getting pretty late. I’ll be back tomorrow early on to help you out, does that work for you?” 

Hao didn’t even wait to respond, “Yes it does!” 

To this, Po just nodded and left to go meet up with Master Tigress who had been waiting for him at the door of the Orphanage. 

“Wait!” Hao called out. “Who are you?” 

Po was surprised that a child of Hao’s age had not yet heard of him, but he guessed this was due to the Cub having been neglected by the rest of the world. He looked back, “You can call me Po, and that is Master Tigress.” He pointed over towards his friend. 

“Nice to meet you Po.” Hao said humbly. “It’s nice to meet you too Hao.” Po said with a smile.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Alright, so this is chapter 5, quite a bit longer than the previous ones. Big thank you to all those who left Kudos and comments on the last one. Remember, your support keeps me writing and publishing these things! The original version of this chapter had a bit more focus on TiPo than I liked, so I edited a bit of that out and focused more on other important things. I like the end result and hope you do as well. If you liked this chapter and like where the story is going, be sure to leave kudos and comment on what you’d liked/disliked, or what you would like to see in the future!
> 
> As always, cheers  
> -Ace_Risk


	6. Feelings

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Po experiences another bad dream. To take his mind off it, he resorts to his training. He is then confronted by Master Tigress once again, what could her reasoning be?

Disclaimer: I do not own Kung Fu Panda 

Chapter 6

Feelings

“Look, I don’t want there to be any hard feelings between us. So before your mind becomes mine, I’d like you know that this was never personal.” 

Darkness. Yet again he could not determine where the voice had originated. It sounded close, but the atmosphere around was far too dim to make out any sort of figure.

“I was impressed to see how resilient you were. However, like I told you before, darkness simply consumes all if given the chance, and you are no exception.” 

Still no sign of the figure, if they even existed at all. While he spent the next moment searching for the voice, he heard footsteps, scaly reptilian ones. He followed the sounds, knowing that eventually he would catch up to this mystery creature. His perception on time seemed to fade as he followed the sounds for longer than he could recall, so long that after quite some time they just stopped. He made his way towards where he had last heard the sounds, but it was barren, there was nothing.

The setting seemed like a void, completely lacking in any definable features or light of any kind. Through the emptiness, however, he heard the voice once more. “A real shame it is. You used to mean so much to them, but now they will learn who you truly are and what you are capable of.”

At that moment, he heard another sound, the sound of an iron door unlocking and opening with squeaky hinges. Footsteps followed and stopped shortly before him. It wasn’t just reptilian footsteps though, there was another.

It was then that he saw the first thing for as long as he could recall, a pair of crimson orbs that radiated some sort of mystical red energy. Though it was strange, it was hardly the thing that surprised him the most. Instead he was focusing more on someones heavy breathing from nearby, sounding as though someone was clearly struggling.

Something new happened after hearing this, something even stranger than before. A crimson shadow swept over his vision and allowed him to make out several undefined figures. One standing tall while another was on its knees. The standing one seemed to be holding the kneeling one up using some sort of garment on the weaker figure’s neck.

“You refused my offer before, and due to that, you have forfeited your free will. You will take this one’s life, and you will do it without hesitation, or you will perish.”

If things were not intense before, this spontaneous change of tone had certainly made them. There was no time to even ponder the request made by the voice as he soon felt his body moving uncontrollably forward.

The standing figure raised the weaker one to be at eye level. “Do it.” The voice stated again.

A heartbeat could then be heard. It started at a regular pace, but then rose with every moment, eventually beating almost twice a second. Along with its increase in pace, it became louder with every beat, eventually drowning out all other noises.

And in that second, his paw shot forward, colliding with the chest of the weaker figure, prompting a loud scream-

He shot up from his cot, breathing heavily in a panic. It took nearly a full minute to calm his raging heart, beating far faster than it normally should. As his heart rate dropped, he looked around. He was once again inside his room at the Jade Palace, seeing the dresser and his now much emptier shelves. He took solace knowing he was safe, but still felt unnerved at the events that occurred in his dreamscape.

‘I wish I remember the times I didn’t get these freaky nightmares…’ Po thought while rising a bit from his cot.

The room was dark, but was slowly being illuminated by the rising sun to the east. He could tell it was the earliest hour of the day. A perfect time to get some training in before breakfast. He felt happy at that thought, however, his enthusiasm quickly turned to worry once more as his thoughts fell back on the events of the dream.

This one had been very similar to the one before. The voice had unmistakably been the same, along with the setting. But what Po could not understand was why he was having such dreams. They were so realistic, yet so vague and difficult to interpret that he wondered whether they were trying to warn him of something, or were just his mind playing bad tricks on him.

Regardless, at the end of the day, they were only dreams. ‘Right?’ He thought to himself, clearly unsure of what to make of this.

He sighed. There were much more important things to do than to worry about some dream that most likely was just a figment of his wild imagination. ‘A bit of training will help. And maybe eating too…’ He thought as he rose from the cot and proceeded to get dressed in preparation to get some early exercises in before the gong would ring.

Across from his room, Master Tigress remained just behind the thin paper door of her own room listening through the wall. This was the second time this week that her friend had woken up from a bad dream. Po would occasionally mumble in his sleep, which was something that she had gotten used to over the years. Though he rarely had nights like these. The last time she could remember these types of events happening were the days leading up to their mission in Gongmen City. Something was clearly wrong, and perhaps confronting him about it would bring him peace of mind.

As he exited his room, she waited a few moments before following.

While his heart rate was high again, the air around him cooled his warm body. Training outside in the morning sun was one of Po’s new favorite things to do. Especially because out here he could cause as much damage as he wanted while also being able to admire the subtleties of the nature around the Palace.

Recently Po had developed a habit of coming out here to train as opposed to the confines of the training hall. Of course he liked the unique hardware and tools inside, but it didn’t really give Po enough space to himself. Often times he would accidentally bump into some of the equipment and cause a big mess which Shifu would rat him out about.

At the present moment, he was busy testing and improving his agility. This was easily one of his weakest areas, aside from stamina of course. The forest provided him a perfect setting to practice this, with deciduous trees and Bamboo stalks making for great obstacles. He had designed a custom course for his routines, it consisted of logs to be leaped over, branches to be ducked under, tight areas to fit through, and at the end was a large tree stump which Po used as a target for the throwing knives that he had ‘borrowed’ from the training hall.

This was going to be his third run at the course. His previous times for running it were slightly above one minute long, though it was impossible for him to get an exact measurement as there was no one but himself to time him. He was looking to change that this attempt. As he lined up at the start, he waited to see a small droplet of water fall from a nearby leaf. This had generally been his queue to start, as it was the only thing that had some form of rhythm to it in the area.

‘3… 2… 1…’ The droplet fell, and he was off. Using his newly gained speed to race forward to a stack of 4 logs standing nearly 4 feet high. He timed his jump perfectly and landed with a forward roll. Up ahead was another obstacle, a series of strong Fir Tree branches for a long stretch. He used his momentum to slide underneath them all, quickly rising after having cleared the last one. Up ahead was a small river with a series of exposed rocks and stones. He jumped from stone to stone quickly, and made it to the other side in no time. The last obstacle was the toughest of all, and required Po’s knowledge of gymnastics. Several tough branches high above the ground that resembled uneven parallel bars that if executed properly would land him on top a small plateau overlooking a clearing in the forest. He jumped and caught the first branch, then began to twirl back and forth until he had enough momentum to swing to the next bar. He did the same and managed to swing just high enough to land on the clearing.

Once on top, he ran forward to a line drawn in the dirt. 30 feet ahead was the tree stump, his last challenge. He took one of the throwing knives that he had left stuck in a tree and threw it directly at the painted target on the stump. The knife flew straight towards the center circle, but before it could make contact, it was intercepted.

“A master never needs to use a weapon. For they are their own best weapon.” Stated Master Tigress who stood in front of the target holding the knife with just two fingers.

“I just knew you were gonna do something like that.” Said Po, folding his arms and smiling while catching his breath.

She nodded, “You knew I followed you again?”

He did the same, “Yep, you’ve been doing it for the better part of a week, so I’d be foolish not to think you’d do it again.”

She smiled. “Very good Po, your training is certainly paying off. But I didn’t follow you to spy on you this time.”

“What, did you want to train with me? You know if we sparred you’d probably still beat me…” He asked sheepishly.

She shook her head, “No, I came here to talk to you Po.”

He raised a brow, she was hardly the talkative type, and rarely started a conversation, so this understandably came as a surprise. “Okay, what you you like to chat about?” Just as he said this, however, he remembered back to the day prior, she had wanted to tell him something before they arrived at the orphanage. “Wait, is this about that thing from yesterday?”

She shook her head again, “No, that topic can wait. I came here to ask you about something that I feel has been troubling you as of late.”

‘Shoot, so she did hear me mumbling in my sleep again.’ He thought, knowing full well what she was eluding to. He sat down on a nearby log, “Okay, what was it you wanted to ask me?”

She took a seat as well on the stump he had used for the target, “Po, I know something has been troubling you lately. I’ve heard you wake up in a panic for several days now. Is there something you wish to share with me?”

He nodded, “It’s sort of complicated. I’ve been having bad nightmares lately, they’re kind of like the ones I’d get before we took down Shen. They’re all connected and super realistic and very…” He searched for the right word.

“Ominous?” She replied, basically finishing his sentence.

“Yeah! That’s it! Ominous. They always end with something really bad before I wake up, and there’s this voice. I don’t know who it is or what they are, but they always talk about darkness consuming stuff.” He finished, looking down while reminiscing.

She looked at him worriedly, it was one thing to have nightmares, but to have ones that were connected. Could this be some sign?

“There’s always a bit of truth in dreams Po, Master Oogway used to warn us to be mindful of them when he was still with us. However, I think it’d be unwise to focus all your attention on them, after all, they are not real.” She replied, looking him in the eye genuinely.

He nodded, “Yeah, they just really creep me out.”

“Should a problem ever arise, we will help you through it, as we always have.” She reassured him.

He nodded again, “I know, I’m thankful to have friends like you guys to support me.”

She remained silent, prompting an awkward atmosphere that lasted a few moments.

“With that out of the way, I think I should tell you what I meant to confide in you yesterday.” She stated, breaking the silence.

To this he nodded, “Okay, but you know you could have just told me on our way back yesterday. I’m not sure why you didn’t tell me about it then.”

She shook her head, “It isn’t that simple Po. I withheld it yesterday because it is difficult to put into words, and I’m quite embarrassed to admit it.”

He looked concerned, “I’m sure you could never embarrass yourself more than I do on a daily basis. Just tell me. I’m sure it can’t be that bad.”

She shook her head again, “Po, you don’t understand. I’ve been conflicted for months about it, and if I were to tell you, I fear the outcome.”

He placed a paw on her shoulder, “Tigress. Whatever it is, you need to let it off your chest. If you keep hiding it, it will only weigh you down.”

“…”

“Tigress?” He asked, noticing her silence.

“Po. Recently I’ve felt different around you.” She said, looking at the ground with a stoic expression.

His expression quickly turned to one of worry, “Different?”

“Yes. At first I did not understand what these feelings were, I had never felt this way towards anyone up until this point. To form connections was forbidden as a Kung Fu Master such as myself. However, with your arrival, you brought much reform to the whole ideology of Kung Fu. You proved that connections are what makes others strong.” She paused for a moment.

“You’ve had a big effect on all of us Po. Much more than you realize. And recently, I’ve been coming to terms with something that I have felt for months now.” Her heart was beating very quickly.

“Tigress, you don’t need to-” Po interjected, now contradicting himself.

“Yes Po. Yes, I have to say it.” She interrupted, looking up and at his eyes.

“I have fallen in love with you Po. I cannot deny it anymore.”

“…”

A very very long silence ensued.

“I… I don’t know what to say…”

“You don’t have to say anything about it Po. I will try to move on from my feelings-”

He took her paw in his own. “Why would you do that?”

She stared into his eyes for a considerable amount of time, all she saw was a genuine look that could melt anyone’s heart. “Because it is forbidden. Not to mention, were someone to discover my feelings, they could use them against me.”

“But you just said that connections make us stronger?” Po reasoned.

“Yes, but this is different Po. It can’t happen, if it were then both our lives would be in jeopardy. And to add onto it, you most likely do not feel the same towards me.” She finished, looking away in disgust with herself.

She expected him to say something along the lines of ‘well, we’re really good friends’, but it never came. She looked back to see if he was still even there, and in that second she felt herself embraced by him in a hug. Her body went still, clearly not having expected this. It reminded her of their adventure in Gongmen City, on the docks after Po had succeeded in defeating Lord Shen.

“I do feel the same way. I always have.” He replied, the tone of his voice sounding almost hypnotic with how calm it was.

She didn’t know what to say, or what to do. But she did not protest to it, so Po did not feel the need to stop. The moment lasted for quite a long time, almost two minutes went by until Po released her. 

“So, what now?” He asked.

Master Tigress remained still, looking him straight in the eye with no rhyme or reason other than that she was confused by his reaction. She had not expected him to share her feelings, he had been such a good friend over the years that she felt that was all she was to him. A friend.

“Tigress?-”

“Po, are you sure about this?” She interrupted, looking up to the now much brighter sky.

“How could I not be? I’ve felt this way about you for a long time. I just never admitted it because I was worried it would ruin our friendship.”

She sighed, she had been in life threatening situations throughout her career, but nothing had posed more of a challenge to her than this. On one paw, she wanted nothing more than to pursue a life with Po, the one who had changed her life for the better, the one who had melted her cold exterior. But she knew that were this to happen, something bad down the line would likely happen as a result.

She remained silent for a few seconds, this worried the Panda, and he opened his mouth as if to speak, but was quickly stopped as she herself returned the gesture and hugged him. As she held onto him, she looked ahead, still contemplating whether she had made the right decision to tell him or not. What reassured her though, was when Po hugged her back, a genuine show of affection. In that moment she made up her mind.

“Po?”

“Yeah?”

“Don’t let go.”

“Wouldn’t dream of it.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Okay, so I changed a whole ton of stuff from the original version of this chapter. I made the mistake in the original of having Master Tigress be far too romantic and reliant on Po. In this I wanted to make her more accurate to her personality in the movies and such in having her seem conflicted about the feeling of emotion and attachment. I think the end result is significantly better than the original this way. By no means am I taking all the TiPo out of this, I’m just trying to make it more believable. 
> 
> To those who’ve enjoyed the story so far and who are looking forward to more, thanks for your support! Remember to leave a comment on your thoughts, should I change things? Please let me know. Anyway, hope you enjoyed!
> 
> Cheers,  
> -Ace_Risk


	7. The Past is Behind Us

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Dragon Warrior and Master Tigress contemplate their relationship before going to train their new apprentice Hao Liang. Far off from the Valley of Peace, however, trouble stirs in eastern China.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Alright, so this chapter released way later than I'd hoped. Mostly due to my own laziness but also due to my college workload ramping up exponentially. I apologize for the chapter being released so late, but now that my College semester is done and I'm on winter break I can focus more time on it. Enjoy this chapter! Things really start to happen here :P

Disclaimer: I do not own Kung Fu Panda 

Chapter 7

The Past is Behind Us

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~“Master Tigress! I didn’t mean to wake you, just a-”

“You don’t belong here.”

“Ah ya. Ya of course, cause this is your room-” 

“I mean, you don’t belong in the Jade Palace, you’re a disgrace to Kung Fu, and if you have ANY respect for who we are and what we do, you will be gone by morning.”~

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She sighed. It was hardly one of the best moments in her life. In fact, it was one of the things she regretted the most. To this day she still couldn’t understand what had prompted her to be so cruel towards him.

Perhaps it was because of his inconceivable ability to achieve greater heights than anyone, almost as if by sheer luck. Whatever the reason, it hadn’t been any excuse to treat him the way she had. He had not asked to be named the Dragon Warrior after all.

She questioned the sense of it all. All the fuss over a blank scroll. She questioned why she allowed it to be her drive, just like it was Tai Lung’s. Maybe this was why she was unable to achieve inner peace as he had. She was letting ambition guide her as it had to Shifu’s former prodigy.

“It all makes sense if you think about it like that…” She said to herself as she opened her eyes and looked down the mountain.

Po was pure of any ambition, jealousy, or malicious intent. Sure he had his moments, but at his core, he was a pure and kind soul with the only intention on showing others the best about themselves.

She smiled at the thought. It felt good to be the friend of a righteous and gentle animal such as himself. But with the events of this morning, she wondered if that’s truly what he was to her anymore. She regretted having ever told him of her feelings. It made her feel weak and vulnerable to a degree she had never felt. The possible consequences of her confession didn’t help to ease her either.

“You still feeling down?”

She nodded and continued to stare down the mountain, not turning back to face him. She had sensed him approach from behind a few moments ago.

He took a seat next to her and also stared down the mountain. “Tigress, what you did wasn’t wrong. No matter what you tell yourself.” He stated, turning to face her, worrying for her obvious guilt over the events of this morning.

To his relief, she returned the gaze, even sporting a small smile. It took a great deal of stress off of Po’s shoulder as he detested seeing his friends suffer. “I know you probably didn’t believe me earlier, but I really do feel the same way about you. Ever since the first day I saw you I felt this way.”

“Why though? I never thought you’d see me as anything other than a friend. A teammate at that. Especially after the horrible things I said about you when we first met.”

He shook his head, “Even then I knew that wasn’t you saying those things. And to be fair, most of what you said was honesty. Well, brutal honesty at that, but it was still mostly true.”

She slumped her shoulders again, “It was completely uncalled for, and even after all these years it still weighs on my conscience. It’s also part of the reason I feel so guilty about my feelings, I’m unworthy of your affection Po.”

“That’s not true at all, otherwise we wouldn’t be talking about it right now. I’ve always known there was more to you than the super tough warrior you come across as.”

She looked to him, “You really think that?”

He waited a moment, returning her gaze and answering truthfully, “I do.”

She sighed again, but this time he could tell it wasn’t in vain. It was out of happiness. “You always know the right things to say.” She stated, leaning closer to him. As she did so her paw instinctively landed on top of his own.

Po’s heart rate rose as she leaned in closer. As did hers. The moment felt as though time and space simply stopped, with the only two individuals that mattered being themselves. She placed her other free paw around the Panda’s large neck, now bringing him in closer as well, something which he didn’t bother to resist. They each closed their eyes as their lips met with neither of them truly knowing what they were doing. They were now just relying off of instinct and common knowledge as they engaged in a subtle kiss that lasted for nearly half a minute.

They broke apart, attempting to catch their breath all the while their hearts pounded so loudly they could almost hear them. It was evident that this was the first time either of them had experienced this much intimacy. They took the next moment to look into one another’s eyes, trying to read what the other was thinking. But the only thoughts that came to mind were how much they both enjoyed that moment.

Impulsively, Tigress tackled Po to the ground. He hadn’t seen it coming at all, especially not after what had just happened. It was hardly malicious at all, rather the opposite. She stared down at him as she lay on top of him with him pinned to the ground. From the outside it would appear as if a predator had caught their prey, however, Tigress was no predator in this case.

She again leaned in and kissed Po while his body remained glued to the floor of the mountain summit. He did nothing to stop it, allowing the strong feline to control the moment. Once she broke off, she remained fixed on Po’s flabbergasted face.

“I… I’m sorry Po.” She stated in embarrassment, being clearly embarrassed with her lack of control and discipline. She couldn’t tell what had come over her to be this romantic all of a sudden.

“For what?” He asked back, taking the moment to sit up again.

“For my actions. I couldn’t control myself. I-”

“Tigress, breathe.” Po answered, putting a finger on her mouth as he interrupted her rant.

He was right, her heart rate was through the roof, and she was struggling to articulate herself. She did as told and took deep breaths for a few seconds. Within a few moments she could feel herself calming down. But that still didn’t change what she had done.

“Po, we can’t reveal this to anyone. If someone were to find out then we’d both be in serious danger.” She stated.

He nodded, “I know. You can trust me to keep it secret.”

“Thank you Po.”

He nodded again in understanding. “Hey, why don’t we head down to that orphanage to check up on the kid? I did promise him we’d pay him a visit sometime today.”

“That sounds like a great idea Po. I’m sure he’ll be pleased to see you again.” She answered.

And with that, they were off.

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“My lord, we’ve completed a sweep of the area. There are only two survivors remaining.” Stated a strong intimidating voice.

“Bring them to me. It’s time we find what we came here for.” Answered another.

Within moments, a group of strong Gorrilas arrived while restraining a large male Brown Bear. He tried his best to break free of their grasp, but was greatly outmatched by their numbers. He knew that he couldn’t overpower them, so he gave up his struggle.

All around him he could see flames engulfing houses and other structures of his village. In all the time he had lived here he had hoped never to see such a disastrous event. And to further plague his conscience, he had failed in protecting the citizens of the village. All that had been important to him had been lost today. Or so he thought.

He looked down in shame, knowing that this was likely his end as well. But before he could sulk any more, his head was forced up by one of the Gorillas, bringing his gaze to another figure. From what he could tell it was a very tall Reptillian, nearly as tall as himself. However, it was not a typical Crocodile bandit, or a snake. It was a lizard. More specifically a Komodo Dragon.

The cold blooded animal had a foreign looking outfit, more similar to Japanese attire from what he could gather. It consisted of an orange shaolin vest, along with deep black slacks and trace bits of armor on his shoulders, wrists, and waist. It contrasted quite heavily with his grayish greenish scales.

In his left eye lay a red gemstone accompanied by a long scar. It most likely had quite the story behind it. Probably a fairly painful story. In one of his scaly hands was a wooden pipe that he would occasionally take a puff of. Most definitely tobacco from the smell. While in the other hand was a Japanese throwing knife, also known as a Kunai.

What was the most peculiar, however, was the strange otherworldly aura that surrounded the Lizard. It was some sort of dark crimson energy that resembled flames or embers as it radiated off his presence.

He approached slowly, taking the second to scan the large brown furred mammal. Examining his size and build for some odd reason the Bear could not determine.

He breathed in some of the smoke from his pipe and then exhaled the rest out of his nostrils into the restrained Bear’s face, making him cough in response.

“Anata wa masutā hyōgi-kai no masutābeadenakereba narimasen yo ne?”

The Lizard asked in a foreign language with a voice that sounded just as raspy and ominous as one would imagine from his off-putting appearance.

When the brown furred mammal did not respond, the Komodo Dragon sighed and took a step back.

“Animals in this country… So uncultured.” The Lizard stated with another puff of his pipe while he paced back and forth. Now talking in traditional Chinese with a heavy accent, clearly demonstrating that this was not his native tongue.

He looked back to the Bear, “You are Master Bear of the Chinese Master’s Council, correct?”

The mammal remained silent, knowing that if he were to answer this question there would likely be more questions to follow.

This obviously irritated the Komodo Dragon who took a look at one of his Gorilla thugs and nodded. “Kare ni hanasa seru.”  
The ape took the hint and proceeded to slap the Bear across the face.

“Try as you might. I will not talk.” The Bear stated plainly with an expression of bravery and strength.

The Lizard raised a brow, “Oh I believe you. Which is why I have left insurance.” He then signaled his other thugs.

Within a second, they brought yet another Brown Bear to the scene, only she was female. She also attempted to resist them, but was hopelessly overpowered by their sheer might.

Any at all bravery he had before was immediately lost as he witnessed the thugs bring the young lady. Worse yet, the Reptilian had noticed his reaction.

They brought the female bear to her knees just before the Reptilian. He knelt down to be at eye level with her. She looked prepared to murder him with a deep anger burning in her eyes. It didn’t scare him in the slightest.

“Are you Master Bear of the Chinese Master’s Council?” He asked once more, inhaling and exhaling from his pipe.

“Go to hell you devil.” She spat, showing nothing but raw anger and distaste.

He grinned in a taunting manner, “See? Was that so difficult?” He asked, now turning his attention to the older male who looked noticeably worried.

“What do you want from me.” The Bear asked calmly hiding the fear he felt at the moment.

The Lizard took another puff of smoke before answering, “All I require is information.”

“What information.” He asked bluntly.

“Where will I find your strongest warrior.” The Lizard asked with his back turned while he continued to smoke from his pipe.

‘No… He has to be mad. There’s no way he could defeat the Dragon Warrior. Especially not with the Furious Five and Master Shifu… He must have some other plan. I can’t tell him.’ The Bear thought while looking up at the Reptile and trying to determine the Lizard’s motif for wanting to locate their most valued legend.

“No. I will never tell you.” The Master replied staring straight at the back of the Reptile’s head.

The Komodo Dragon then turned back with a raised brow. He extinguished his pipe and handed it to one of his goons who carried it off. “We shall see about that.” He stated as he stepped closer to the Brown Bear.

Once he was just a few inches from the Bear he brought up one of his Kunai to the Bear’s neck, “You do not fear dying, do you Kung Fu Master?” He asked simply as he caressed the blade across the fur on the Bear’s neck.

After hearing no response, the Reptile removed the blade from the Master’s neck and stood once again. “I figured as much. You Masters are predictable in this way.”

He seemed as though he were going to sheathe the weapon back, but instead he brought it up to the neck of the female Bear. She moved her neck back as far as she could to avoid it, but couldn’t move much with the multiple thugs restraining her.

The brown furred mammal tried his absolute hardest to break free of these mercenaries, but was sadly still unsuccessful. There was nothing he could do at this point besides cooperate. He knew the Komodo Dragon wasn’t bluffing at this point. And there was no way he’d let her die for his misdoings.

“I will not ask a second time. Where will I find your strongest Warrior.” The Lizard asked once more, bringing the blade of the Kunai so close to the female’s neck that it actually sliced a tiny but of fur off.

“Father! Don’t!” She pleaded, trying to break free herself.

The Reptilian smirked, “I shall make a deal with you to ease your conscience. Tell me what I wish to know and I shall not bring harm to her.”

There was no other option, and he sighed, “The Valley of Peace. A village to the southwest.”

To the Bear’s relief, the Lizard removed the blade from her neck. “Thank you for your cooperation.” He stated before taking the Kunai and throwing it straight at the Bear’s chest, killing him instantly as it impaled his heart.

“NOOOOOO FATHER!!!!!” The Female shouted as she tried desperately to escape the grasp of the Gorillas.

The Lizard turned his attention to the girl, “I gave my word I would not bring harm to you, but to not to him. Now let us hope you do not share his unfortunate fate. Kanojo o tsureteitte kudasai!” He ordered his henchmen as he left the scene.

“You’re going to die for that!” She ranted before feeling a sudden movement on her neck and then falling unconscious.

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Po scratched his head. “I just don’t get it. How do you felines have this kind of strength?”

“Not all of us do, I was one of the few Shifu had ever heard of with such a condition. Perhaps it’s caused from the neglect and torment that I suffered as a cub.” Master Tigress replied as the two walked back through the village while the sun set.

“Wow… That sounds a bit dramatic…” Po replied, with a tone of sympathy.

“I’m only being realistic Po. My childhood was hardly normal compared to many others. Hao is an uncanny example of it.” She replied, looking up as she recalled events from many years past.

It made Po feel guilty. Yes he hadn’t had the easiest childhood either, but compared to that of the felines his palled in comparison. “Hey, look if you hadn’t gone through all that bad stuff there’s a chance you wouldn’t have met Shifu-”

“I’m not complaining about it Po, it’s in the past. And I’m above such things as holding a grudge. I’m only stating it because it’s a logical answer to your question.”

“Wow. I kind of forgot how serious you can be sometimes…” He stated, prompting her to raise a brow.

“A warrior must always take matters seriously.” She explained with a confident smile.

“But not all matters?” He said as he placed a paw on her shoulder.

She returned his smile and leaned her head on his shoulder, “No. Not all matters.”

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The reptile picked up and examined a small vial. The glass tube held a small dose of a thick yellow liquid with a tinge of an otherworldly aura that resembled smoke. He tore his gaze away for a moment to look at a table that held a collection of martial arts belts lined up. They all had different designs, but each shared one thing in common, they were all coated in dried blood splatters. "Do not worry Masters, all will be over soon." The Reptile stated to himself as he returned his attention to the vial.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you enjoyed it! I made a whole lot of changes this chapter from the original and even added in some brand new context for events to come. I'm fairly content with the result and hope everyone else appreciates it. Moving forward, if you did enjoy it and like where the story is going be sure to leave kudos, subscribe, or comment on your thoughts. Remember, I'll only continue writing it if people support the story.
> 
> Cheers,  
> -Ace_Risk


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